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You' re Fired!
9 Most Dramatic Chef Firings In Culinary History
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Getting fired is awkward, embarrassing, and often infuriating. But thats just for
us normal folks. When chefs get fired, things get crazy.
There can be lawsuits, smack talk, bad reviews, angry tweets - we're talking the whole shebang.
Sometimes it even goes viral
(although, "dramatization" might be a better word for that one).
We've complied nine of the most dramatic chef exits and theyve
got all of the above and more.
You know what they say: if you cant take the heat, get out of the kitchen... in as newsworthy
a way as possible.
August Escoffier v. the Savoy London
One of the most legendary chefs to ever impact the food industry, August Escoffier and his friend Cesar Ritz were
fired from the Savoy London in 1898
for stealing £6,400 worth of liquor that they used to wine and dine potential investors.
So, why have most foodies never heard about this?
Ritz apparently had some juicy dirt on the Prince of Wales that people wanted kept
under wraps, since it was a Jubilee year for Queen Victoria. The whole shady business wasn't discovered until almost a century later.
Jody Williams v. Gottino and Morandi
Jody Williams was hit with a lawsuit from her
former partner at New York eatery Gottino who claimed that she only paid him $600 a week even though her take was $5,000.
The lawsuit also claimed that Jody had been fired from her previous restaurant, Morandi for violating her contract.
She denied all allegations, and eventually the whole thing quietly went away.
Paul Liebrandt v. Gilt
Paul Liebrandt is one of the most well-regarded chefs in New York, famous for both his temper and his feats of molecular gastronomy.
However, in 2006, he was also famously fired
from Gilt after the restaurant received a bad review
from New York Times critic Frank Bruni.
That incident, coupled with frequent arguments with management, led to Liebrandt being kicked to the curb while still on
the rise as one of the city’s most prestigious chefs.
Nick Morgenstern v. Gilt
When Nick Morgenstern was fired as the pastry chef at Gilt in NYC, the
news had been reported before Morgenstern himself was even aware
of what went down.
However, he wasted no time in firing back at his former bosses,
saying "They’re doing a little dance, pointing at each other," rather than whoever fired him owning up.
However, Chef Chris Lee claims that Morgenstern’s "problem is his mouth".
Fabio Viviani v. Cafe Firenze
Top Chef favorite Fabio Viviani was fired from his father-in-law’s restaurant
Cafe Firenze amidst arguments over ownership.
Fabio then sued his father-in-law,
who claimed that Fabio hadn’t been cooking at the Moorpark,
CA restaurant since he finished his first season of Top Chef - the whole thing seems to be one very public case of he said/he said.
No word on what happened with the lawsuit, so we'll never know whose side was the truth.
Jason Neroni v. Porchetta
Talk about leaving on bad terms: Jason Neroni was pescadoscapitales.com
accused of stealing money from New York's Porchetta upon his departure.
It was reported that there was a warrant out for his arrest, and although it turned out to be untrue, he considered suing his former restaurant for defamation.
Ryan Skeen v. Most of NYC
Chef Ryan Skeen has the lengthiest rap sheet, having worked
in 10 different restaurants in 10 years.
As is befitting of someone with such a record, he didn’t leave very many on good terms. He has said that he doesn’t think of Pera Soho as a
"real restaurant" and called 5 Ninth a "shit show".
However, nothing tops his exit from Allen & Delancey which he called "pure evil", and involved a series of
rude tweets and his being locked out of the restaurant.
Sean Bernal (and various Servers) v. Estiatiorio Milos
The Miami restaurant had only been open for two weeks when Chef Bernal made a hasty exit in May of this year, but he never
offered an explanation other than
"You have no idea what I've been through".
Shortly after the news of his departure broke, reports surfaced of Bernal and other employees being verbally and physically
abused by the owner, Costas Spiliadis.
Then, in June, many servers reported that they were unjustly fired because
Spiliadis suspected them of talking to the press.
And all of that went down within the restaurant's first three months in business.
Robert Irvine v. The Truth
In 2008, a Tampa Bay newspaper discovered that Dinner Impossible and Restaurant Impossible star Robert Irvine had
made up many of his credentials,
including his knighthood and his experience cooking at the White House.
In addition, he allegedly owed thousands of dollars to people who invested in or partnered with him on his unopened restaurants.
Irvine was fired as a result of the revelations, but, his ability to cook massive amounts of food in little time with
little money resulted in his reinstatement in the Food Network lineup.
By Julia Emmanuele
Source: www.thebraiser.com